While it’s no surprise that consumers, in general, are influenced by product packaging, it was certainly surprising to learn just how much craft beer packaging influences what people choose to buy. Recently, Nielsen released data on craft beer packaging and the role it plays in who ultimately purchases the beer.
It’s All About the Packaging
First of all, we found out that 70% of craft beer buyers make their decision when they get to the store vs. ahead of time. With more than 3,905 new beers on the shelf in the last year alone, it makes sense that most people wait to decide what they are getting until they get to the store and see the selection. So what steers people to buy a specific beer the most? A nice package.
In fact, 66% of people surveyed said that they were “very likely” to buy a beer based on its packaging and label. Furthermore, 71% say they more likely to try a brand that has bold and interesting packaging. But what do people like when it comes to a beer’s label? Different features such as brand name, logo, color scheme, bottle shape and color, and the box or carrier that hold the bottles were all evaluated. Interestingly enough, the box/carrier came out on top as having the most influence, at 48%. Where the beer is produced came in second at 43%. They also found that more consumers were drawn to illustrations and logos vs. what was actually written on the labels.
Brands On Top
For the study, Nielsen tested 17 different brands that are top sellers with a nearly equal split between East Coast and West Coast beers. The brand that fared the best was Kona Brewing, which came out in the top two designs in both East and West coast demographics. Deschutes and Saint Archer rounded out the top 4 spots, after Kona’s Big Wave Golden Ale and Castaway IPA. What’s interesting is that While Kona and Deschutes are similar in their graphic, illustrative style, Saint Archer is quite different from both of these other brands. Maybe its clean cut, more modern design might help it stand out from those more illustrated styles or maybe it even speaks to a different consumer.
Coming Soon…
With all of this info in mind, Thorn Brewing Co. is entering the craft-beer-can-fray. We are really excited to announce that in mid-July you will be able to get 6-packs of Thorn Brewing cans in stores and bottle shops throughout San Diego. We are starting with four of our core beers; Relay IPA, Rock the Pale Ale, Foreplay Belgian Blonde, and Barrio Baja-style Lager. Here’s a sneak peek at what they will look like…
Now, it will be even easier to take our beer on-the-go whether you are heading to the park, the beach, a friend’s BBQ or just home to enjoy a cold one. Soon the canning line will be up and running down at our Barrio Logan location and we will be able to can even more of your favorite Thorn beers.
To wrap it up, yes, labels are important when buying a beer, but don’t let that outshine what is actually in the can or bottle. We’ve said it before and we will say it again, the thing you should be the most concerned about on a bottle or can is the freshness date or bottled-on date. The beer’s freshness is likely going to be the biggest influence on how your beer tastes no matter what the style is, but this is especially true for IPAs. That’s why we will be putting freshness dates on all of our cans so that you can make sure you are getting a fresh Thorn beer no matter if it’s here at the brewery or out in stores. And for those people who don’t know just how delicious our beer is yet, hopefully, our packaging will entice them give us a try.